Buttonhole attachment for sewing machines



Aug. 28, 1962 s. P. CALDWELL ETAL 3,051,106

BUTTONHQLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1959 4" Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 28, 1962 s. P. CALDWELL ETAL BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 28, 1962 s. P. CALDWELL ETAL BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1959 4 Sh eets-Sheet 3 him TORS 6? lll lll III ATTORNEYS Aug. 28, 1962 s. P. CALDWELL ETAL 3,051,106

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ima Q km El 747,7; 1: m

INVENTOR5 BfiELWh Patented Aug. 28, 1962 free ware

Filed June 17, 1%9, Ser. No. 820,935 16 Claims. (Cl. 112-77) This invention relates to a buttonhole attachment for sewing machines and more particularly to an attachment adapted for use with household sewing machines.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide an attachment of this character which will have a wide range of adjustment as to the bight of the stitch or range of zigzag motion of the feed blade, the feed which governs the distance between successive stitches, and the width of the cutting space between the stitches on one side of the buttonhole and those on the other side. In addition the attachment is also adapted to employ the usual sewing machine feed to effect zigzag and straight stitching in a straight or manually guided path, that is to say, not over an oblong course required for buttonhole making.

Buttonhole attachments previously employed have had somedisadvantages in that they have included a considerable number of parts rendering them of consider-' able weight and somewhat unwieldy. Usually a cam has been provided which is actuated by a fork arm attached to the needle bar of the sewing machine, this cam rotating on a horizontal axis and having an internal cam track within which is a follower carried on an actuating lever which actuates the various parts of the device.

In the present instance the type of cam referred to above has been omitted and the fork arm is employed to actuate a cam member mounted on a vertical axis, which cam actuates a lever controlling the various operations. An improved type of drive is employed between the fork arm and this cam so as to avoid any backlash and to provide for a smooth driving action between the fork arm and the parts of the attachment.

Also in the present device the adjustments of the various parts of the stitch may be made within very fine limits. For example, the feed or forward advance of the goods between stitches may be adjusted by very small increments so as to permit the use of fine or coarse thread and also provides for the placing of the stitches in close juxtaposition so as to complete a buttonhole in one operation or pass around the buttonhole even on relatively flimsy material.

In addition the adjustments may all be readily made by the operator for, while the attachment is provided with an enclosing cover, the adjusting knobs all extend without this cover so that it is not necessary to remove it for making the adjustments. Templates are provided to control the size and shape of the buttonhole, which templates are interchangeable and which are mounted at the upper side of the attachment so that the templates may be readily removed and a new one substituted. The adapter by which the device is secured to the presser bar of a sewing machine is slidably and detachably secured to the frame of the attachment in the present instance so that it may be replaced by another suitable for use with a sewing machine of a different make or so that the attachment may be moved laterally to accommodate leftor right-hand sewing found in some of the automatic zigzag sewing machines now marketed, thus rendering the attachment universal in character.

To complete its universal adaptability the fork arm is connected to the mechanism which effects the zigzag stitching or lateral oscillations of the feed blade by an adjustable connection such as a turnbuckle, for example. This turnbuckle may be adjusted when the fork arm is at its highest point, for example, to adjust the position of a pawl member which effects the zigzag movement. Thus it may be assured that the zigzag movement is in time with the needle bar regardless of the make of the machine with winch the attachment is used.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved buttonhole-making attachment for use with household sewing machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a buttonhole attachment for sewing machines wherein the feeding of the material by the attachment may be adjusted over fine increments so as to bring the stitches closer together or further apart as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a buttonhole-making attachment which will be of relatively light weight, will operate with a smooth action and without backlash between the various parts of the mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bnttonhole-sewing attachment for sewing machines with a replaceable and slidably adjustable adapter so that it may be used with machines of various makes and which can be used with the usual feed mechanism of the sewing machine to which it is attached to perform continuous decorative work or straight sewing at the will of the operator.

Still another object of the invention is to make a buttonhole attachment for sewing machines which will be of relatively light weight and of relatively small size and which will be provided with adjustments for the feed of the cloth, for the bight or width of the zigzag stitch, and also for the cutting space between the stitches upon one side of the buttonhole and those upon the other, all of which adjustments may be readily made by the user of the device. v

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for convenient and accurate timing of'the mechanism for effecting the zigzag motion of the feed blade of the attachment with the operation of the needle bar of the sewing machine with which the attachment is used and by which it is actuated.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a buttonhole attachment embodying the invention, some parts being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 2; a

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the device with the cover applied thereto;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the stitching performed by the attachment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the presser foot which may be employed when continuous decorative stitching is desired;

FIG. 10 is a view of the template employed with the presser foot shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view with some parts being shown in section of the forward part of the attachment showing certain features not shown in previous views;

FIG. 12 is a similar view to FIG. 11 with some parts being omitted and showing only a portion of' the elements shown in FIG. 11

FIG. 13 is a sectional view on line l313 of FIG. 11;

V and PEG. 15 is a sectional view on line 1515 of FIG. 11.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown in the drawings a sewing machine attachment comprising a frame which consists of a base plate It} having mounted thereon adjacent its forward end an upstanding block 11 (FIGS. 1 and 3) to which is pivoted at 12 a fork arm 13 designed to be connected with the needle bar of a sewing machine in the usual manner. The block 11 is provided with a laterally projecting portion 14- (FiG. l) which is provided in its forward face with a dove-tailed slot 15. An adapter 16 adapted to be secured to the presser bar of a sewing machine has at its rear end -a dove-tailed key 17 adapted to be secured in the slot 15 by the screw 18 (FIG. 2). Thus the adapter 16 is removable to be replaced by another in order to adapt the attachment for use with sewing machines of various makes.

Movably mounted upon the base is a feed blade 20 (FIG. 2), the rear end of which lies above the frame plate 19. At an intermediate part the feed blade is offset, as shown at 21, to extend through a slot 22 in the frame plate so that the forward portion of the feed blade lies below the plate. The feed blade is provided with a longitudinal slot 23 and a headed pin 24 extends through this slot and also through a slot 25 in the frame plate. This pin is secured in an adjusting slide as (FIG. so that adjustment of the slide will vary the position of the pin 24. As the feed blade in its lateral reciprocating movements pivots about the pin 24, the adjustment of this pin within the slot 25 will vary the throw of the forward end of the feed blade and, therefore, vary the bight or distance A shown in FIG. 8.

As is well known, the goods in which the buttonhole is made are moved in an oblong path by the feed blade (a cover is commonly employed to cover the usual feed a dog of the sewing machine so that the feed iseffected by the feed blade 29) and must be moved laterally at each end of the button hole in order that an oblong path of stitches be made. In addition to this movement the feed blade must be movedlongitudinally of the frame to effect stitching along the sides of the buttonhole and the longitudinal slot 23 in the feed blade permits this movement. In addition to the two movements previously described, a zigzag movement is effected as will be hereinafter explained.

The amount of this movement of the feed blade about a is provided with an oblong slot 27 which receives a pin 28 secured to the base plate (FIGS. 1 and 5) and provided witha vertically disposed flange portion 29 to which is threadedly secured an adjusting knob 39 passing 1 through a slot 31 in a flange 32 upon the base plate. A

guide screw 33 is also secured to the flange 29 and rides within the slot 31, this screw having an'enlarged head to overlap the edges of the slot. It will be apparent that when the knob '30 is backed ofl, the slide may be adjusted and thereafter the screw may be tightened to secure the slide in any position of adjustment. 7

' As shown more particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, a post '35 is secured to the lower portion ofthe fork arm and a turnbuckle mechanism designated generally'at 36 is connected by an eye 37 to this post. The other end of the turnbuckle is secured at 38 to an arm 39 of a pawl carrier 40 rotatably mounted by means of a bushing 41 upon a vertical post 4-2 secured to the frame plate 10 so that upon reciprocation of the fork arm the pawl carrier 49 will be oscillated about the post 42.

Upon the pawl carrier is pivoted at 43 a pawl 44 (FIG. 1) adapted to be engaged with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 45 also rotatably mounted on the post 42. Secured ratchet wheel is moved in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 1, by the pawl 44, its movement will not be prevented by the rollers 49. However, upon return movement of the pawl carrier 40, if there is any tendency for the ring 46 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, this will be prevented by the cramping of the rollers 49 between the ring and the recesses 48 in the member 47. This provides, therefore, for a step-by-step movement of the ratchet wheel in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 1, upon oscillation of the pawl carrier 4% from the fork arm.

It is noted that adjustment of the turnbuckle mechanism 36 will, by moving the pawl carrier 40 with respect to the fork arm 13, adjust the position of the pawl 44 with respect to a predetermined position of the needle bar and will thus determine the position of the ratchet wheel 45. As movement of the ratchet wheel effects the zigzag movement of the feed blade 2 d, adjustment of the turnbuckle will time the zigzag movement with the reciprocation of the needle so that the needle will never be in the cloth when the cloth is being moved. Such an adjustment will be made to suit the particular machine with which the attachment is being used.

To this end a cover plate 42 is secured-to the post 42 at the upper end thereof and provided with a mark 42 (FIG. 1). When the fork arm is at its highest point, the turnbuckle may be adjusted to bring the edge of a tooth of the ratchet wheel 45 into registry with or directly opposite the line 42 of the cover plate 42 The mechanism of the attachment will then be correctly timed with that of the sewing machine.

Secured to the ratchet wheel 45 by pins 51 which pass through the bushing 41 is a cam 53 (FIGS. 1 and 5) which will, with the ratchet wheel, be rotated in a clockwise direction, as shown in. FIG. 5, in a step-by-step movement. This cam is provided with high points 54 and its periphery is adapted to engage cam followers 55 and 56 rotatably mounted upon a lever-actuating slide 57 (FlGS. 3 and 5) so that this slide will be reciprocated laterally or in a transverse direction upon the rotation of the cam 53. This reciprocation is permitted. by slots' 58 in the base plate 16 within which ride pins 59 upon which follower rollers 55 and 56 are mounted. The slide is also provided with a slot on receiving the lower portion of the post 42.

Adjustably mounted upon the slide 57 is an adjusting plate 61, which plate carries a pin 62 received in a longitudinally elongated slot 63 in the slide 57. This pin, which is the actuator of a lever to'be hereinafter described, may be adjusted longitudinally of the attachment within the limits permitted by the slot 63 by an adjusting knob 64 threaded into a flange 65 of the adjusting plate 61. This screw passes through a slot 66 in a flange 67 of the actuating slide 57 so that, upon backing ofi the knob 54, theadjusting plate 61 may be moved longitudinally of the attachment relatively to the actuating slide 57. This will effect movement of the pin 62 relatively to the post 42 'with an effect to be hereinafter described. A guide screw 68 may be threaded into the flange 67 to move along the slot 66 and guide the plate 61 in its movements.

An actuating lever 70 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5) ispivoted upon the post 42, this lever extending rearwardly and being provided with a slot 71 which registers with the slot 63 and receives the pin 62. It will be apparent from FIG. 2 that the adjusting plate 61 extends between the member 57 and the lever 79, and the pin 62 extends in both directions from this plate.

As the pin 62 is carried by the slide 57, this pin will be moved laterally when the slide 57 is moved laterally by the cam 53 and, as the pin is snugly received in the slot 71 of the lever 70, the latter will be oscillated about the post 4-2. The position of the pin 62 in the slots 53 and 71 can be varied by the adjusting plate 5-1 to vary the throw of the lever 70 about the post 42. It is understood that the movement of the slide 57 by the cam 53 is always uniform so that the movement of the pin 62 carried by this slide will also be uniform and the distance of the pin from the post 42 will determine the throw of the lever.

This adjustment determines the extent of the lateral movement of the feed blade at the end of the buttonhole and, therefore, the width of the cutting space or the dimension B shown in FIG. 8.

The lever 70 extends rearwardly as shown in FIG. 2, and rotatably mounted on the lever adjacent the rear end thereof is a stepped post 73 having an upper reduced end 74 and having a pinion 75 secured thereto below this reduced end. The teeth of the pinion are adapted to be engaged with those of an oblong rack 75 of a template 7'7 removably mounted in a platform 78 formed integrally with the feed blade 2% and joined thereto by the riser 75!.

As shown in FIG. 4, the platform is provided with an opening 86 to receive the template, the edges of which overlap the edges of the opening so as to suspend the template in a downwardly facing position, and the template may be secured in place by a slide 81 movably secured to the platform 73 by pins 82 passing through slots 83 in the slide which is provided with fingers 84 to engage over the edges of the template as shown in FIG. 1 and secure it in place. By moving the slide to the left, as shown in FIG. 1, the template will be released and may be removed so as to be replaced by another of different form.

As shown more especially in FIGS. 2 and 5, a driving member 85 is secured to the post 73. This constitutes one member of a unidirectional drive and is provided with recesses 86 to receive rollers 87 lying between the edges of these recesses and a ring 88 which is secured by pins 98 to a lever 89 rotatably mounted about the post 73 which it will be remembered is rotatable in the lever 70. The lever 89 is provided with a slot 91 of relatively narrow width at its forward end but diverging to be relatively wide at its rear end, which slot receives a pin 92 carried by an adjusting slide 93 slidably carried by the flange 32 of the base plate. Threadedly connected to this slide is an adjusting knob 94 similar to the knobs 3t) and 64 pre viously described so that, when the knob 94 is backed ed, the slide 93 may be moved longitudinally of the device and thereafter, by tightening the knob 94, secured in its adjusted position. This will adjust the position of the pin 92 in the slot 91 so as to adjust the amount of rotation given to the post 73 by the oscillation of the lever 70, as will be hereinafter described.

When the lever 76 is oscillated by the cam 53, the post 73 is carried with it as is also the pinion 75 and feed blade 29 which, it will be remembered, carries the template 77 with which the pinion 75 is engaged. When the post 73 is oscillated laterally about its pivot 42, it will effect oscillation of the lever 89 about the pin 92, the amount of this oscillation or the angle through which the ring 88 is moved depending upon the position of this pin. Oscillation of the ring 88 carried by the lever 89 will, through the unidirectional drive afforded by the rollers 87 and driving member 35, effect step-by-step rotation of the post 73 and the pinion 75. The engagement of the teeth of the pinion with the rack 76 of the template will effect longitudinal movement of the feed blade as determined by the shape of the rack 76 in a step-by-step manner. The length of these steps will be determined by the angle through which the ring 88 is oscillated and, as this can be varied by adjustment of the pin 92, the feed between stitches may be varied by any desired increment, this being the adjustment of the distance marked C on FIG. 8.

Supported from the lever 70 by posts 95 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is a platform 96 which is provided with a bearing opening for the post 73, and extending laterally from the platform is a lug 97 in which is rotatably mounted a knob 98 carrying a pinion 99, the teeth of which engage with those of a gear 160 secured to the post 73. This manual rotation of the knob will, therefore, rotate the post 73 and pinion 75 in order to effect movements of the feed blade manually when this is desired. A bowed or dished spring 1M acts between the gear 109 and the platform 96 to inhibit rotation in a counterclockwise direction of the post 73, or this mechanism may be replaced by the mechanism used in connection with the ratchet wheel 45.

In the use of a buttonhole attachment it is usual to cover the sewing machine feed and effect feeding of the goods entirely by the feed blade. To this end a presser foot 192 is pivoted at 193 to the forward end of the feed blade to be actuated thereby. This presser foot is provided with serrations or teeth 1% at its lower edge to engage the material being employed. A cloth-holddown lever 16-5 is pivoted to the frame at 106 and is urged downwardly by the spring M7 to press firmly on the cloth or fabric before it is entered by the needle. This lever will be lifted by engagement therewith of a pin 1G7 on the fork arm (FIG. 1) before the movement of the presser foot to move the cloth.

It is sometimes desired to employ a buttonhole attachment for continuous decorative work or zigzag stitching. If this is desired, the presser foot 102 may be replaced by the foot 110 shown in FIG. 9. As shown, the feed blade is provided with forwardly projecting legs 111 having outwardly projecting lugs 112 thereon to be received in e a slot 113 in the presser foot 110. A slide member 114 which is slidably connected to the foot 119 may then be moved by the pin 114 over the lug 112 to hold the presser foot in place. The foot 162 is connected to the feed blade in the same manner so that it may be readily detached to be replaced by the foot 110 when desired. When it is desired to eflFect continuous decorative or Zigzag stitching and the foot 110 is employed, it will be understood that the feed dog cover of the sewing ma chine is removed so that the usual sewing machine feed is employed. Also the template 116 shown in FIG. 10 is employed. This template is not provided with a toothed rack such as the rack 76 previously described but is provided with a circular opening 117 which loosely receives the pinion 75 so that, while the feed blade and presser foot attached thereto will be oscillated from side to side for the decorative stitching, there will be no longitudinal movement of the feed blade which as described was elfected by the engagement of the pinion 75 with the rack 76.

The attachment may be enclosed within a cover 118 which may be secured to the frame member 1% This cover may be of plastic or any similar material and is provided with a slot 119 through which the stem of the button 5 8 extends. The cover is also provided at its upper surface with a relatively large opening 120 closed by a flap 121 hinged to the cover at 122. This flap 121 is cut away at 123 so that it may not foul the knob 98 when swung to an open position. It may be secured in closed position by the catch 124. When the flap is opened, access may be had to the template 77 to re move the same and replace it with another, it being unnecessary to remove the cover for this purpose. Likewise the adjusting knobs 3t), 64 and 94 which extend outwardly through slots in the flange 32, as well as the turnbuckle 36, are all accessible without removing the cover so that all adjustments can be made.

It will be apparent that with the above construction a buttonhole attachment is provided which may be made of parts of relatively light weight and which will be smooth in action and can be adjusted finely and closely in all three of the adjustments required. As has been eX plained, oscillation of the lever .70 will efiect oscillation of the feed blade about the pivot 24 to obtain the zigzag stitching. Pinion 75 fixed to pin 73 which is fixed to lever 70 oscillates feed blade 20 through rack 76 secured to the feed blade.

Adjustment of .the pin 24 longitudinally of the device will vary the range of movement of the feed blade and will, therefore, vary the bight or width of the zigzag stitch or the distance A shown in FIG; 8.

The longitudinal movement of the feed blade is effected by rotation of the pinion 75 in engagement with the rack or template 76 and the step-by-step rotation of this pinion may be varied by adjustment of the pin 92 which will etfect a very fine adjustment of the feed. This will adjust the distance C shown in FIG. 8 and the stitches can be brought into close juxtaposition or be separated comparatively widely as desired.

When the pinion 75 reaches the ends of the oblong rack 76 the feed blade will be moved from one side of the buttonhole to the other so as to provide a cutting space between two longitudinal rows of stitches. This space may be adjusted by the adjustment of the pin 62 by the knob 64 which will vary the distance designated as B in FIG. 8. The three adjusting knobs have been given the letters A, B and C to correspond with the dimensions similarly designated in FIG. 8.

' In FIGS. 11 to 15 there is shown certain features not shown in the drawings previously described but which it will be understood may be used with the attachment shown in FIGS. 1 to 10.

Previously the adapter 16 has been described as removable from the block 11 secured to the frame. It will usually be found desirable for the adapter 16 not only to be removable, but to be adjustable laterally as well. The form of the adapter shown in FIGS. 11 and 15 is similar to that previously shown in that it is provided with a dovetailed key 17 at its rear end adapted to be received by a lateral movement in the slot 15 of the block 11. In the present modification, however, the key 17 is provided with a threaded opening 13% adapted to threadedly receive a screw 131. The head of this screw is provided with an annular recess 132 adapted to be received in an arcuate slot 133. in a latch member 134 pivoted at 135 to the 'mernber 14 so that the screw will be rotatably mounted in the member 134 but held against longitudinal movement with respect thereto.

With this construction rotation of the screw 131 will adjust the adapter 16 laterally in the dove-tailed slot 15 and it may be locked in any position of adjustment by the screw 18. When it is desired to remove the adapter in order to replace it with another, the latch member 134 may be swung upwardly about the pivot 135, as shown in FIG. 15, and when the screw 18 is backed 011, the

adapter may be removed.

The latch member 134 is provided with a second arcuate slot 136 adapted to receive a screw 137 which is threaded into the member 14 so as to hold the latch 134 in its operative position shown in FIG. 11.

At certain times it may be desired to do stralghtfstitching on the attachment and to this endmeans are provided to disable or throw out of operation the mechanism for effecting zigzag movement of the presser foot. To this end a cam member 140 is pivoted at 141 to the cover plate 42 and tothe cam member is secured an operating handle or finger piece 142 extending through a slot in the cover. of the device. This cam plate is adapted, when moved in a clockwise direction about its pivot 141 from the position shown in 'FIG. 1, to engage a pin 143 on the p e ratchet 44 which engages and turns the ratchet wheel 45 and move the pawl out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheelso that the latter will not be actuated by operation of the fork arm and thus no zigzag movement of the feed blade will be efiected.

The cam member 141 is provided with a pin 145 adapted to be received in either of a pair of openings 146 in the cover plate 42 and the cam is normally urged downwardly by a spring 148 pivoted at 149 to the handle 142 and provided with a slot 150 in which is received a pin 151 secured to the cover plate 42. The cam is also provided with an arcuate slot 153 which receives the pin 151 and permits movement of the cam with respect to this pin.

With the parts in position shown in FIG. 11 the handle 142 will be slightly raised against the action of the spring 148 to free the pin on the cam member from one of the openings 146 shown in this figure. The cam member may then be moved in a clockwise direction to engage the pin 145 with the other of the openings 146 in which position the pawl 44 will have been cammed also in a clockwise direction out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 45. p

In this instance when the zigzag mechanism is disabled to efiect continuous straight stitch sewing, it will be understood that the presser foot 111 shown in FIG. 9 may be employed and the forward feed of the material will be obtained from the usual feed of the sewing machine with which the attachment is used.

In this embodiment of the structure the slide 57 is employed to actuate the lever 7 as in the structure previously described, this slide carrying the carnfollowers 55 and 56 which are rotatably mounted on the pins 59'. At their lower ends shoes 155 are provided upon the lower ends of these pins, which shoes ride in slots 156 and 157 in the base plate 10. As the shoes are of substantially rectangular shape and fit snugly Within these slots, a smooth movement is provided for the slide 57..

For adjusting the connection betweenthe slide 57 and the lever 7 1 an adjusting plate 169 is adjustably mounted upon the slide 57 and adjusted by means of the knob 64. This plate is of slightly dilferent construction from its counterpart 61 previously described. It is provided with an upstanding pin 161 upon which is carried a rectangular shoe 162 which is slidably mounted in a rectangular slot 163 in the lever 76, the shoe 162 being rotatably mounted upon the pin 161. Thus movement of the slide and of the shoe in the slot 163 will adjust the position of attack upon the lever 71) and, therefore, adjust the throw of the rear end of this lever which pivots about the post 42.

Upon plate 169 and in spaced relation thereto is a bridge member 164 which is disposed above the lever 70 so that this lever is prevented from tilting 'by beingdisposed between this bridge member and the plate. Also the plate 161 is provided with forwardly extending guide fingers 165 and 166 which engage the pins or studs 59 upon which the cam follower rollers 55 and 56 are carried, These fingers act to guide the plate 169 in its adjusting movement upon the plate 57, which movement is permitted by the slot 66 in the flange 67 of the plate 57.

The form shown in FIGS. 11 through 15 increases the versatility of the attachment as well as providing for smoother operation of the attachment.

By having the adapter 16 adjustable the attachment may be adjusted for use on' sewing machines of different manufacture.

The addition in this form of a lever-operated cam 140 to cam the driving pawl 44 out of engagement with the ratchet 45 to allow the operator to do straight stitching, that is, instead of buttonhole stitching, without removing the attachment, is a'desirable feature. Otherwise the operation of the form of FIGS. 11 through 15 is similar to the form of FIGS. 1 through 10*. 1

The arrangement of the shoe 162 and of the guide fingers 165 and 166 and the bridge member 164 provides for smooth adjustment of the plate 160 and proper operation of the lever 76 in a horizontal plane.

While we have shown and described some preferred embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What we claim is:

l. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a base plate, a feed blade pivotally mounted thereon, a fork arm pivotally carried by the base plate, means connecting said fork arm to the feed blade to actuate the latter, said means including a cam member mounted on the frame for rotation in a horizontal plane, a ratchet wheel mounted coaXially with the cam member and connected thereto, means for rotating said ratchet wheel in a step-by-step movement from the actuation of the fork arm, a lever pivoted on the axis of the cam member, means for actuating the lever from the cam member, connections between said lever and the feed blade to actuate the latter in both longitudinal and pivotal movements with respect to the base plate, said lever-actuating means comprising a slide mounted on the base plate for movement transversely thereof, means on said slide engaged by the cam member, and means connecting the slide to the lever at a point eccentric to the pivot of the latter.

2. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a base plate, a feed b lade pivotally mounted thereon, a fork arm pivotally carried by the base plate, means connecting said fork arm to the feed blade to actuate the latter, said means including a cam member mounted on the frame for rotation in a horizontal plane, a ratchet wheel mounted coaxially with the cam member and connected thereto, means for rotating said ratchet wheel in a step-by-step movement from the actuation of the fork arm, a lever pivoted on the axis of the cam member, means for actuating the lever from the cam member, connections between said lever and the feed blade to actuate the latter in both longitudinal and pivotal movements with respect to the base plate, said lever-actuating means comprising a slide mounted on the base plate for movement transversely thereof, means on said slide engaged by the cam member, means connecting the slide to the lever at a point eccentric to the pivot of the latter, and means for varying the connection of the slide with the lever to adjust the throw of the lever.

3. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a base plate, a feed blade pivotally mounted thereon, a fork arm pivotally carried by the base plate, means connecting said fork arm to the feed blade to actuate the latter, said means including a cam member mounted on the frame for rotation in a horizontal plane, a ratchet wheel mounted coaxially with the cam member and connected thereto, means for rotating said ratchet wheel in a step-by-step movement-from the actuation of the fork arm, a lever pivoted on the axis of the cam member, means for actuating the lever from the cam member, connections between said lever and the feed blade to actuate the latter in both longitudinal and pivotal movements with respect to the base plate, said leveractuating means comprising a slide mounted on the base plate for movement transversely thereof, means on said slide engaged by the cam member, means connecting the slide to the lever at a point eccentric to the pivot of the latter, means for varying the connection of the slide with the lever to adjust the throw of the lever, said means comprising a second slide member slidably mounted on the first slide, a pin carried by said second slide member, and a slot in the lever in which said pin is received.

4. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines. comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for oscillating said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, and means for rotating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising'a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, a ring embracing said member and rollers, and a lever pivoted to the plate and to which said ring is secured.

5. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for oscillating said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, means for rotating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, a ring embracing said member and rollers, a lever pivoted to the plate and to which said ring is secured, and means to adjust the position of the pivot of said lever to vary the amount of rotation imparted to the post.

6. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for oscillating said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, means for rotating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, a ring embracing said member and rollers, a lever to which the ring is secured, a pivot pin pivotally connecting said lever to the plate, and means adjustably connecting said pivot pin to the lever.

7. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for oscillating said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, means for ro tating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, a ring embracing said member and rollers, a lever to which the ring is secured, a slide adjustably mounted on the plate, and a pivot pin carried by the slide and engaged with said lever.

8. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for oscillating said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, means for rotating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, a ring embracing said member and rollers, a lever to which the ring is secured, a slide adjustably mounted on the plate, a pivot pin carried by the slide, and a slot in said lever to adjustably receive said pin.

9. A buttonhole attachment as in claim 4 wherein means are provided to restrain rotation of said post in the other direction.

10. A buttonhole attachment for sewing machines comprising a supporting plate, a lever pivotally mounted there- 1 1 r on, means for oscillating saidlever in a substantially horizontal plane, a feed blade, means connecting said blade to the plate for oscillatory and sliding movement, an upstanding post rotatably carried by said lever, a pinion on said post, a rack carried by the feed blade, the teeth of which are engaged by those of the pinion, means for rotating said post in one direction by oscillation of the lever, said means comprising a member secured to the post having recesses in its periphery, rollers in said recesses, 61 ring embracing said member and rollers, a lever to which the ring is secured, a slide adjustably mounted on the plate, a pivot pin carried by the slide, and a slot in said lever to adjustably receive said pin, said slot having a portion of V- shaped form.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Huntington Sept. 29, Parsons May 1, Gay Apr. 28, Hammond Mar. 21, Greist Sept. 29, Sharenow et a1 Dec. 2, Utz Sept. 15, Russell Nov. 24, Baehr et a1. Aug. 27, Wurker Sept. 2, Wurker Sept. 2, Enos Mar. 8, 

